This Week’s Events: Food Trucks at the City Council, Ice Cream Fest, Twilight Dinner, Bier Cellar

| Posted in Events

Monday — the full City Council will review the proposed food truck regulations (page 78). This is the first review, a final vote will take place at the City Council meeting on July 16.

Tuesday — the owner of MDI Ice Cream will be on the TV show The View, and the Monument Square Farmers Market is taking place on Tuesday to avoid conflict with the 4th of July holiday on Wednesday.

Wednesday — the Great American Ice Cream Fest all-you-can-eat ice cream event will be happening on the Eastern Prom.

Thursday — Cultivating Community’s first Twilight Dinner of the summer is taking place at their farm in Cape Elizabeth (tickets available online).

Friday — there will be a wine tasting at West End Deli and a bourbon tasting at The Salt Exchange.

Saturday — the Bier Cellar is holding their Grand Opening, there will be wine tastings at Rosemont on Brighton and LeRoux Kitchen, and the Deering Oaks Farmers Market is taking place.

Bastille Day Feast — Devenish Wines and Cultivating Community with the help of chefs Brad Messier, David Levi, and Philippe Donald are putting together this 4-course menu built around a pig roast to celebrate Bastille Day on July 14. The cost is $48 per person. You can buy tickets online at Brown Paper Tickets.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

The Bollard: Maine Beer, The Holy Donut, Scarpa’s

| Posted in Reviews, Beer, Distilling & Cocktails

The July edition of The Bollard is now out. It includes:

  • A feature article on the latest wave of craft brewers to open in Maine: Maine Beer Company, Bull Jager, Rising Tide, Bunker Brewing, Baxter Brewing, and Oxbow.
  • A review of The Holy Donut (194 Park Ave)
  • A bar review of Scarpa’s (15 Exchange St)

The articles aren’t on The Bollard website yet, but they usually posts them up in the week following print publication. In the meantime you can find free print copies in just about every coffee shop and cafe in Portland.

Greek Heritage Festival

| Posted in Events

The Bangor Daily News has published a report on the Greek Heritage Festival.

The Greek Food Festival, now in its 30th year by the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church on Pleasant Street, has become more than just the church’s biggest annual fundraiser. It’s a key component in keeping alive Greek cultural traditions, with roots dating back hundreds of years and thousands of miles, in Maine’s largest city.

Review of The Lobster Shack

| Posted in Reviews

The Golden Dish has published a review of The Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth.

For those of us who live in Greater Portland, Two Lights is like the neighborhood pound for lobster in the rough and all the fixings. It’s like getting away to someplace exotic and remote, yet it’s so accessible, with gorgeous scenery, very decent food, and I hope it stays that way for at least another 50 years.

Review of Nosh

| Posted in Reviews

USA Today has published a review of Nosh.

No matter what you choose you will probably like it because the food at Nosh is creative, carefully prepared and impeccably sourced, presenting a unique take on classic comfort foods in a neighborhood setting with a fun, family-friendly vibe and reasonable prices. Nosh also has an extensive list of craft beers, wines and specialty cocktails. It works equally well for lunch, dinner or late-night party spot, and presents a different side of Maine dining with no lobster whatsoever on the menu.

Review of Vignola/Cinque Terre

| Posted in Reviews

Sfphotocraft has published a review of Vignola/Cinque Terre.

The anti pasta was good.  It had shrimp, mussels, oysters and clams.  It was a nice bite of a taste of the taste of Maine, with some interesting sauces to spice up the bites.  I was a huge fan of the oysters, they were local and had a nice sweet taste to them.  It would be hard to screw up this plate as we were in Maine and seafood is everywhere.  My next course was the mushroom pizza. I loved the crisp, thin and crispy, but not overly so. The best part were the mushrooms…

Eventide Oyster Company Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Hugo’s new companion eatery, Eventide Oyster Company, is now open for business.

The oyster menu is the most extensive in the city with 9 varieties of Maine oysters and another 9 from away (see menu below). Winterpoints, my favorite Maine oysters, are on the menu except these are Winterpoint Selects, which at least for now, are exclusively available at Eventide. In addition to the raw bar, Eventide serves a range of raw and cooked appetizers, as well as a small set of entrees and desserts.

I had the pleasure of attending their open house for friends and family earlier this week, (see photos below) and aside from when I dropped and broke a wine glass, it all went very smoothly. I’m looking forward to a return trip very soon to start making my way through the rest of the oyster list. I wonder if there will be a “mug club” for anyone who tries them all?

Eventide is located immediately adjacent to Hugo’s on Middle Street in the space formerly occupied by Rabelais.